Agree with others: Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorites. Also good historical fiction by Ken Follett: A Place Called Freedom (1700's coal miner story) and A Dangerous Fortune (1800's cut throat bankers).

There's an interesting and readable series of mysteries set in ancient Rome. The series is called SQPR (I through XIII) and named subtitles. The first is SPQR I: The King's Gambit.

It follows the efforts of a poor but honest, minor Roman official who tries to solve a murder that took place in the part of Rome he was responsible for. Not everyone wants the murder solved. We see the interplay of politics and factionalism against daily life in the First Century BC.

Herman Wouk's Winds of War & War & Remembrance are great WWII stories revolving around a successful navel officers career.
Shogun by James Clavel is about Samauri warrior era of Japans history. Historically not precisely accurate but very informative in general and a great read.
Gone With The Wind is a great read revolving around the Civil War as seen from the eyes of Southerners of the era.
Enjoy

I believe there was an actual case of murder that a minor lawyer around the time of Julius Caeser did in fact have a part in. He successfully defended the man who was accused of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6charlong

There's an interesting and readable series of mysteries set in ancient Rome. The series is called SQPR (I through XIII) and named subtitles. The first is SPQR I: The King's Gambit.

It follows the efforts of a poor but honest, minor Roman official who tries to solve a murder that took place in the part of Rome he was responsible for. Not everyone wants the murder solved. We see the interplay of politics and factionalism against daily life in the First Century BC.

I enjoyed the two John Jakes series, the Kent Family Chronicles and North and South. But I hesitated to recommend them in eBook format as Penguin Pub has priced the eBook versions at $8 while the hardcopy is $4 and the paperback is $5. Huh?!